Prior to initiation of printing, some 3D printers, e.g., printer hardware and software, may build a computational model of each “slice” or “layer” of the entire 3D printing process. For example, some 3D printers may select printer parameters, e.g., nozzle temperature, layer height, in-fill patterns, maximum speed, maximum acceleration, and so forth, beforehand, taking into account expected properties of the input materials. However, such 3D printers may not account for variances of the material properties, e.g., when a new source material is input into the printer system, and/or the impact of the interaction between the new input materials and the various components of the 3D printer or the environment the 3D printer is in.
For 3D printers that do provide for sensing material and/or tool properties during printing, optical imaging devices, e.g., cameras, may be used. For example, optical imaging devices may be used to identify surface defects, dimensional inaccuracies that fall outside of acceptable tolerances, and similar failure modes. The solution for these failure modes may include interrupting the printing process, shutting down the 3D printer, and removing the defective printed object.